Potter Making Case To Stick With Pacers Into 2026/27
- Indiana hold a team option on Micah Potter‘s contract for next season, and the fifth-year big man is making a strong case for the Pacers to exercise it with his recent play, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). Over his last eight games (25.6 MPG), Potter is averaging 15.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.0 RPG and 0.9 SPG on .538/.463/.870 shooting. The 27-year-old has some defensive limitation, but he has been a good fit in Indiana’s offensive system, Dopirak writes. “Solid is the word,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Micah, that’s what he is. He’s solid. He’s a no-frills player. He doesn’t try to be fancy out there. He plays the game, he works to play to his strengths. I like that he’s a stretch big that can legitimately play some four. That’s a very good thing.” Potter’s $2.8MM salary for 2026/27 would still be non-guaranteed even if the Pacers exercise that option.
Pacers Notes: Toppin, Q. Jackson, Slawson, Two-Ways, More
In a season in which the Pacers have been decimated by injuries, the team got a morale boost on Thursday when Obi Toppin returned to action after missing nearly all of 2025/26 following foot surgery, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). The popular sixth-year forward received a “thunderous standing ovation” from the home crowd when he was introduced as a starter.
“He’s our engine,” veteran point guard T.J. McConnell said. “He brings energy on both ends of the floor. To have him back, it’s just such a positive for our team. We’ve missed him dearly. He’s worked tirelessly to come back. … It just didn’t look like he missed a beat. It looked like he was having fun out there and I was just really happy for him.”
According to Dopirak, Toppin said he initially felt something in his right hamstring on October 26, when he exited Indiana’s third game of the season. Doctors determined that his hamstring was OK, but he was also experiencing discomfort in his right foot and underwent an MRI, which revealed a fracture in his fifth metatarsal bone. Toppin, who turns 28 years old in a few days, said he was determined to return this season.
“I always want to be out there on the floor,” Toppin said. “I wasn’t rushing to come back, but I definitely want to go out there. We’re still a team. We still want to find that rhythm. We’re not having the greatest year this year, but to find that rhythm and connectivity with the team. We have standards, we have things that we go by, so going out there and playing the right way for the team, whether that’s for this year or next year, we still have a lot of games coming up. Just continue to play the right way and show the younger guys how this goes.”
Toppin was limited to eight minutes and 29 seconds of playing time in Thursday’s loss and head coach Rick Carlisle indicated he would be on a minutes restriction for the rest of the season, Dopirak writes. Carlisle also praised Toppin’s versatility and fit with Indiana.
“Just the reaction of the crowd was heartwarming,” Carlisle said. “He’s a guy that brings energy to our team and our situation. … We need him.”
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Most of the roster was in attendance on Friday for a Pascal Siakam fundraiser when the team surprised Quenton Jackson with the news that he being converted to a three-year standard contract, per Dopirak (subscriber link). The Pacers released a video of the interaction (Twitter link). “He’s really earned it,” Carlisle said of the fourth-year guard. “… He’s a culture enhancer. That’s really the starting point with him. His game is something that is really helped us. He’s versatile. He can play two guard positions. He defends. He can run a team. He can play off the ball. A lot of good stuff. Our fans love him. When he comes in the game he just energizes things.” Jackson said he was grateful for the promotion but remains determined to keep improving his game.
- Jalen Slawson‘s two-way contract covers the rest of the 2025/26 season, reports Forbes contributor Tony East. The Pacers called up Slawson from their G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, when they converted Jackson. “I think he’s an NBA player,” Carlisle said. “He’s had a good year with the Boom and this will be a great opportunity for him to play some games.” Slawson, a former second-round pick, will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Pacers give him a two-way qualifying offer.
- The Pacers will have to carefully manage their two-way players for the rest of the season, as each player has a limited amount of games in which he can be active, East writes for Forbes. Taelon Peter can be active for 14 more games, Slawson can be active for up to 13 and Ethan Thompson has 10 games of eligibility left. Indiana has 22 games remaining in ’25/26.
- A pair of Boom players have season-ending injuries, the team announced in a press release. Forward Gabe McGlothan suffered multiple rib fractures in a game on February 22, while forward Ray Spalding will undergo surgery on his right middle finger. Both players are expected to make full recoveries, per the Boom.
Pacers Promote Quenton Jackson To Three-Year Standard Deal
February 28: Jackson has officially been converted to a standard contract, the Pacers announced in a press release. As we noted in another story, Slawson’s two-way contract has been finalized as well.
February 27: The Pacers are giving Quenton Jackson a promotion, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two-way guard will be converted to a three-year standard contract. Jackson’s agents at Klutch Sports informed Charania of the deal.
Jackson, a four-year veteran, admitted to Tony Easy of Forbes and Circle City Spin that he had been thinking about the possibility of being promoted by Indiana (Twitter link).
“I’ve thought about it. It’s hard not to think about it,” Jackson said. “But at the same time, I wouldn’t say I wrap my head around it too much. In this game, it’s best to think about the things that you can control.”
A league source tells East (Twitter link) that Jackson’s new deal will be partially guaranteed in 2026/27 and non-guaranteed for the ’27/28 campaign.
A 27-year-old point guard, Jackson went undrafted in 2022 out of Texas A&M. He has made 30 appearances this season for the Pacers, averaging 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 17.3 minutes per game. His shooting line is a very solid .489/.409/.810.
Jackson’s two-way deal expires at season’s end. And because this is his fourth NBA season, he wouldn’t be eligible for another two-way contract in 2026/27, so Indiana needed to move him to the standard roster in order to retain him beyond this year.
General manager Chad Buchanan, Dustin Dopriak of The Indianapolis Star, and most recently East previously identified Jackson as a candidate to be promoted. The Pacers were carrying an open standard roster spot, so no corresponding move was needed to convert Jackson.
Buchanan told East a couple weeks ago that Jackson was “a big part of our culture in our locker room” and lauded the fourth-year guard’s energy, toughness, and positive attitude. For his part, Jackson said he loved Indiana and his fit within the team’s offense.
Promoting Jackson will create a two-way opening for the Pacers, which they reportedly plan to fill by promoting Noblesville Boom standout Jalen Slawson. Taelon Peter and Ethan Thompson currently hold Indiana’s other two-way spots.
Pacers, Jalen Slawson Finalize Two-Way Contract
February 28: Slawson’s two-way deal is official, the Pacers confirmed in a press release. He will be eligible to be active for 13 of Indiana’s final 22 games, notes East (via Twitter).
February 27: The Pacers plan to sign free agent forward Jalen Slawson to fill the two-way contract slot previously held by Quenton Jackson, a league source tells Tony Forbes of Forbes and Circle City Spin (Twitter link). Jackson is being converted to a three-year standard deal.
The 54th overall pick in the 2023 draft after starring in college at Furman University, Slawson spent his rookie NBA season on a two-way deal with the Kings. He only appeared in 12 games for Sacramento in 2023/24, and has been plying his trade in the G League the last two years, suiting up for the Osceola Magic in ’24/25 and the Noblesville Boom — Indiana’s affiliate team — in ’25/26.
Slawson, who signed Exhibit 10 deals with the Magic and Pacers the past two falls before being waived, is having a strong season for the Boom. In 35 games in ’25/26, the 6’7″ wing is averaging 18.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 blocks in 34.2 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .486/.348/.775.
Since he has been out of the league since ’23/24, this will technically be Slawson’s second year in the NBA. It wouldn’t be surprising if his contract covers two years, as has often been the case with recent two-way agreements.
In late December, Keith Smith of Spotrac referred to Slawson as “the best all-around player” to that point in the NBAGL season. That was at the conclusion of the Tip-Off Tournament (Slawson had played 10 games at that point) and prior to the regular season.
Pacers’ Obi Toppin Upgraded To Available Thursday
February 26: Toppin will return on Thursday, head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star).
“Toppin will play tonight,” Carlisle said. “He will be on a minutes restriction and it’s safe to assume he’ll be on a minutes restriction the rest of the season.”
February 25: Pacers forward Obi Toppin is on the verge of returning to action after missing nearly the entire 2025/26 season. As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter), Toppin has been upgraded to questionable to play on Thursday vs. Charlotte.
Toppin, who will turn 28 next Wednesday, was active for just three games this fall before suffering a right foot injury on October 26 in Minnesota. He underwent surgery to place a screw in the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot after being diagnosed with a partial stress fracture and was ruled out for at least three months.
The Pacers’ roster has been decimated by injuries over the course of the season, resulting in the team tumbling down the standings after making it to within one win of a championship last spring. This year’s squad is 15-44 and could have simply given Toppin the rest of the season to recover from his foot surgery, focusing on getting him back to 100% for 2026/27.
However, it appears the sixth-year forward is in the final stages of his recovery process and will get back on the floor for Indiana in the near future. Being listed as questionable doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be active on Thursday, but it suggests his return is pretty close. If he ends up being ruled out for that game vs. Charlotte, his next opportunity to play would be on Sunday vs. Memphis.
Toppin was a valuable rotation player for last season’s Eastern Conference champions, appearing in 79 games and averaging a career-high 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game with a strong .529/.365/.781 shooting line. He played in all 23 playoff games for the Pacers and averaged 9.4 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 19.1 MPG off the bench during the club’s run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Pacers Notes: Jackson, Furphy, Jones, Siakam
Exploring the Pacers‘ options to fill their 15th roster spot, Tony East of Forbes identifies two-way player Quenton Jackson as a clear candidate for a promotion to a standard contract.
Unlike the contracts signed by fellow two-way players Taelon Peter and Ethan Thompson, Jackson’s two-way deal expires at season’s end. And because this is his fourth NBA season, he wouldn’t be eligible for another two-way contract in 2026/27, so Indiana would need to move him to the standard roster in order to retain him beyond this year.
Assuming the Pacers decide Jackson is the player they want to fill their open roster spot, it would make sense to sign him to a new deal sooner rather than later. As East outlines, Indiana now has enough room below the luxury tax line to give him either the veteran’s minimum or slightly above it for the rest of the season, and March 4 is the deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract. So if Indiana wants to promote Jackson and back-fill his two-way slot, it would have to happen by next Wednesday.
We have more on the Pacers:
- Second-year guard Johnny Furphy, who tore his right ACL earlier this month, underwent surgery in Chicago on Tuesday to repair that tear, the team announced in a press release. For now, the Pacers have simply ruled out Furphy for the rest of the 2025/26 season, but the typical recovery timeline for that procedure suggests he’ll miss a significant chunk of ’26/27 too.
- Rookie guard Kam Jones didn’t make his NBA debut until late December due to a back injury and didn’t play much in January, but he has appeared in each of Indiana’s past nine games, averaging 26.6 minutes per night during that time. As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes in a subscriber-only story, Jones has made the most of his recent opportunity and head coach Rick Carlisle has taken notice, noting that the 2025 second-rounder has a “knack for making intelligent basketball plays.” Carlisle added that Jones is in much better shape now than he was earlier in the season. “It’s hard to really understand if you’re a fan watching from afar how difficult it is to have a two-month head start that everybody gets on you from a conditioning and rhythm standpoint,” Carlisle said. “Really he was unable to do anything on the floor that required running or pounding because of the back situation. You’re seeing now that he’s getting into some real condition.”
- While there’s a chance Obi Toppin will return from foot surgery on Thursday vs. Charlotte, the Pacers will remain shorthanded whether or not the forward is available. Among the players likely to be inactive? Star forward Pascal Siakam, who is listed as doubtful due to a left wrist sprain. Siakam returned on Sunday after missing three straight games with a hamstring injury but injured his wrist and sat out Tuesday’s loss to Philadelphia.
Injury Notes: Brown, Hayes, Siakam, Thompson, Jovic, Goodwin
Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown won’t play on Tuesday against the Suns due to a right knee contusion. He was originally listed as questionable but was downgraded about seven hours before tipoff, Brian Robb of MassLive.com reports.
This will be the sixth game Brown has missed this season. The veteran wing is averaging 29.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game and scored a team-high 32 points in 36 minutes on Sunday against the Lakers.
Here’s more injury news from around the league:
- Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes will miss tonight’s game against Orlando due to a right ankle sprain, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Hayes played just five minutes against Boston on Sunday before exiting due to that injury.
- Rockets guard Amen Thompson will sit out Wednesday’s home game against Sacramento due to left quad tendinitis, Varun Shankar of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Thompson played 29 minutes against Utah on Monday, contributing 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in Houston’s 20-point victory.
- Pacers forward Pascal Siakam won’t play against Philadelphia tonight due to a left wrist sprain, Tony East of Forbess tweets. It will be the seventh game he’s missed this season.
- Heat forward Nikola Jovic has returned to Miami during the team’s current road trip for back treatment, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Miami plays Milwaukee tonight and wraps up its trip in Philadelphia on Thursday. The Heat’s next home game is Saturday against Houston. It’s been a rough season for Jovic, who has been in and out of the rotation after signing a four-year, $62.4MM extension in October.
- Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, who is dealing with a left calf strain, will be re-evaluated in one to two weeks, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Goodwin had a 17-point outing against Orlando on Saturday, then missed the next contest against Portland. The Suns also confirmed Dillon Brooks‘ four-to-six week timeline before a reevaluation of his broken left hand.
Carlisle Questions NBA’s Decision To Fine Pacers; League Responds
2:34 pm: An NBA spokesperson issued a statement to Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link) to push back against Carlisle’s framing of the investigation into the Pacers.
“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” the spokesperson said. “An independent physician led the medical review. In addition, the Pacers’ general manager and the team’s senior vice president (of) sports medicine and performance were interviewed as part of the process. The Pacers confirmed that it had provided all of the information requested by the league and the team reported that an interview with Coach Carlisle or a team physician wasn’t necessary.”
1:36 pm: The Pacers were one of two teams fined by the NBA ahead of the All-Star break for the manner in which they were managing their players. While Indiana’s $100K fine paled in comparison to the $500K penalty the Jazz received, commissioner Adam Silver‘s statement at the time suggested that the league believed both clubs were prioritizing “draft position over winning.”
The Pacers were disciplined for holding out Pascal Siakam and two other players for a February 3 game against Utah. According to the league’s statement, the NBA determined, with the help of an independent physician, that all three could have played in the game, perhaps in reduced roles.
The league fined Indiana for violating the league’s player participation policy, noting in its statement that the Pacers also could have held out those players in other games in order to better promote compliance with the policy.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle didn’t address the fine at length at the time it happened, but he was more open about it during a radio appearance on 107.5 The Fan on Tuesday, making it clear to Kevin Bowen and James Boyd that he didn’t think the NBA made the right call (Twitter video link).
“I didn’t agree with it,” Carlisle said (story via Boyd for The Athletic). “There was a league lawyer that was doing the interview that kind of unilaterally decided that Aaron Nesmith, who had been injured the night before and couldn’t hold the ball, should have played in the game, which just seems ridiculous.
“During the interview process – I was not on it, but I heard details – we asked them if they wanted to talk to the doctors, our doctors, about it because it was something that was documented by our doctors and trainers. They said no, they didn’t need to. They talked to their doctors, who did not examine Aaron Nesmith. And we asked them if they wanted to talk to (Nesmith), and they said, no, they didn’t need to.
“This was shocking to me. And during the interview, they also asked if we considered medicating him to play in a game when we were 30 games under .500. So I was very surprised. Obviously didn’t agree with it.”
It’s worth noting that Siakam (who sat out on Feb. 3 due to “rest”) was the only player specifically named in the NBA’s statement, and he meets the criteria of a “star” under the player participation policy. So if the league felt that the Pacers’ management of Siakam violated the policy, it could make the case for a $100K fine (the penalty for a first-time offender) without requiring any additional reasons.
Still, the NBA’s statement suggested the league determined that two additional starters held out of that Feb. 3 game – believed to be Nesmith (left hand strain) and Andrew Nembhard (low back injury management) – were healthy enough to play. Carlisle’s comments call into question how the NBA made that determination and whether or not it was accurate.
Pacers Notes: Brown, Siakam, Haliburton, Carr, Zubac
Along with acquiring Ivica Zubac from the Clippers earlier this month, the Pacers added guard Kobe Brown in the deal. Brown was only averaging 8.7 minutes per game in L.A. but his playing time has skyrocketed with his new team.
Brown has appeared in five games, including one start, and is averaging 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per contest. The 26-year-old had a season-high 15 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes against Dallas on Sunday.
“This is a great chance for us to figure out as much as we can about him,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “I like the things he’s doing. … When you get an opportunity like this, this is where you can really show what you can do.”
It’s a de facto audition for Brown, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Clippers declined their option on his 2026/27 contract prior to this season.
“For him he’s got to understand what we want him to do and where we need him to be,” forward Pascal Siakam said. “But I think he’s doing a great job of playing within whatever’s happening and not thinking about it. When you’re open, shoot it. Other than that, just play as hard as you can.”
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Siakam scored 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, for his 11th 30-plus point performance of the season during the loss to the Mavs. He also notched eight rebounds and three assists and the Pacers were +7 in his 29 minutes, Dopirak notes. Siakam is dealing with a left hamstring issue but doesn’t want to be shut down, despite the team’s record and the franchise’s desire to get the best lottery odds possible. “Anyone that knows me knows that I want to play,” Siakam said. “I don’t want to sit around.”
- As if Tyrese Haliburton didn’t have enough to deal with as he worked his way back from an Achilles tendon tear, the star guard has been diagnosed with shingles, according to an ESPN report. He will be away from the team for a few weeks. “It’s a very painful thing,” Carlisle said. “… He will make a full recovery, but this happened over the last few days. He was meeting us in D.C. and had some odd symptoms, and he came back here. That’s what’s happening with him. We certainly wish him a speedy recovery. It’s a unique case and a unique situation, but I talked to him a few times, and he’s always in a good mood, so he’ll get through it.”
- Senior vice president of player personnel Ryan Carr is joining Darian DeVries‘ staff at Indiana University as executive director of basketball, according to Jeff Rabjohns of 247Sports.com. Carr, who will report directly to DeVries, has been with the Pacers organization for 25 years. He has managed the team’s pre-draft preparation for more than a decade as well as its evaluations of all draft prospects. He’s a former IU manager.
- How will Zubac fit in with the Pacers? In a Forbes article, Tony East takes a closer look at Zubac’s potential impact, including his defensive prowess and willingness to set hard screens. Zubac has yet to make his Pacers debut due to an ankle injury.
Aaron Nesmith Out At Least One More Week Due To Ankle Sprain
Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith, who suffered a right ankle sprain in Thursday’s loss to Washington, will miss at least one more week due to the injury, according to head coach Rick Carlisle (Twitter link via Tony East of Circle City Spin).
Nesmith was limited to 15 minutes in Thursday’s contest and was sidelined for Friday’s rematch with the Wizards. Sunday’s game vs. Dallas will mark his second straight absence, and he will miss at least two more games after that as a result of the sprain.
Indiana has been ravaged by injuries in 2025/26, as several players have been sidelined for extended stretches. Forward Obi Toppin, for example, hasn’t played since October after undergoing foot surgery, and second-year swingman Johnny Furphy was diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee a couple weeks ago, ending his season early.
In fact, only three Pacers have missed fewer than 10 games this season: Jay Huff (zero), Jarace Walker (one) and Pascal Siakam (six). All-Star forward Siakam will return to action on Sunday after missing the team’s last two games.
Nesmith missed 19 consecutive games from mid-November to late-December because of a left knee sprain. The 26-year-old small forward, who was nominated for the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week award for games played from Jan. 26 – Feb. 1, has averaged 13.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.1 APG in 33 games this season (30.0 MPG).